We live in a world
of buttons, don't we? There are Mouse Buttons (left
and right); pierced Belly Buttons (ouch!); Panic Buttons
(where's mine when I need it?); Remote Control Buttons;
and of course, decorative garment buttons.
You may not think about your buttons
until one is broken or missing, but they were actually quite
an innovation in garment design when they burst on the scene
in the 1200s as a way to hold garments in place. Who
holds the record for the most buttons on one garment?
You'll have to read on -- we'd hate to spoil the suspense!
You're
on your own in caring for your pierced belly button, but
we certainly take a great deal of time to ensure your garment
buttons are treated like the little gems they are.
This week. learn more about what we do with your buttons,
and enjoy a few links to St. Patrick's Day items -- including,
of course, shamrock buttons.
Happy
St. Patrick's Day, and we hope to see you
soon!
Jim O'Nixon,
The
Cleaners |
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Irish
Blessing
May
those that love us love us;
and those that don't love us
may God turn their hearts;
if He can't turn their hearts,
may He turn their ankles,
so we'll know them by their limping. |
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Lucky
Coupon!
Are you Wearin' O' the Green this
Wednesday? If you go to a St. Patrick's Day bash,
you're bound to spill on it, too. So,
have two regular items drycleaned and we'll do a green garment
or one with shamrocks on it at no charge.
(Include the first page of this e-mail
with your order. Offer expires March 20, 2004.
Cannot be combined with other offers.) |
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Buttoned
Up History
Many of us are fast approaching
the moment when we take the Internet so much for granted
that we forget how to look up information in any other way.
Everything seems to be there, from the obscure to the obvious.
Let's face it, Button History is one of the more obscure.
Buttons were ornamental until about
the 1200s when they became what we know them to be today
-- indispensable gizmos for connecting fabric to fabric
with style. Like any fashion trend, though, some people
took it to extremes. When
King Francis I of France was going to meet Henry VIII of
England (a clothes horse if there ever was one) he had his
jeweler create 13,400 gold buttons, and put them all on
one black velvet suit! Aside from
being blinding in the sun, it's probably a wonder he could
even stand up in the thing.
What's
with Left and Right?
If you've ever tried to get away
with wearing a man's shirt (if you're a woman) or vice versa,
you know that you're busted if it's got buttons on it.
For some bizarre reason, men's
shirts have the buttons on the right side, women's on the
left. Who thought of that stupid idea?
Actually, it had its basis in logic
(believe it or not.) Most men are right handed, and
traditionally dressed themselves, so the buttons were set
up to make it easier for them. Women, by contrast,
often used a ladies' maid (most of whom, again, were right-handed)
who were facing the buttons when using them, not behind
them as was the woman being dressed. Therefore, tailors
and dressmakers went along with the request to reverse the
buttons on women's garments. Like
many things in this world, even though this practice has
outlived its usefulness, it's never been challenged and
so never been changed.
Big Button
Business
How important have buttons been
through the years? Consider these bits of trivia:
- Louis XIV loved jeweled buttons,
and is reputed to have spent the equivalent of $600,000
for them -- for ONE garment!
- The British Army used 367
different kinds of buttons during World
War I (talk about inefficiency!) A button was considered
as necessary to front-line troops as bullets, and any
kind could be requisitioned and delivered within 8 hours.
The British also liked to polish their brass buttons,
and spent a half million dollars a year just for the paste
that they used for this purpose.
- Those
useless buttons on the sleeve of a man's suit coat?
They were added to keep soldiers and seamen from using
their sleeves as... well... handkerchiefs.
Want to
Learn More?
Try these links for more on buttons
and their history.
- Greenberg
& Hammer -- Button trivia, button care, types of
buttons.
- Historic
Buttons -- this site, called "No One's Business"
has buttons that can be used for historic costumes and
much more.
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Buttons
and Drycleaning
You probably think we just check
to see if your buttons are all there, and replace those
that are missing or broken. Wrong! There's a
lot more to it than that.
- Some
buttons are made of polystyrene, and will actually dissolve
in drycleaning solvent. These must
be removed before cleaning, and resewn afterwards.
- Some
buttons are a threat to garments in the machine.
If a garment has buttons with sharp edges or facets, we
will either remove them or cover them with special covers
to protect your garment and others.
- Some
buttons can be covered tightly with heavy foil and the
garment put into the drycleaning machine without damage
to the buttons. After cleaning,
we carefully remove all foil.
- Buttons come in materials as
diverse as bone, plastic, ceramic, fabric, glass, leather,
metals, pearl, rubber, stone, and wood. Just
as we do with your garments, we test buttons to see what
procedure will be best for the garment AND the buttons.
You can trust us to do our best every time.
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Everybody's
Irish on March 17
That's what it seems like, anyway.
Everything is green: the beer, the clothing, the food.
Green popcorn, though? Hmmm.
(If you love the idea, click
here to go to the site and order it.)
Four Leaf Clovers, one of the main
symbols of St. Patrick's Day, are rare, as you know if you've
ever lay face-down in the front lawn and looked for one.
The official plant is White Clover (trifolium repens)
and the 4-leaf version is an aberration, not the norm.
Naturally, botanists have created hybrids that produce the
quad-leaf variety with greater regularity. (Want
to order Shamrock Seeds? Click the image below
right.)
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Four-Leaf
Facts
Most people don't know the symbolism
behind the four-leafed clover.
- One leaf is for HOPE
- One leaf is for FAITH
- One leaf is for LOVE
- One leaf is for LUCK
(of course!)
Rumour has it that Eve carried
a 4-leaf clover out of the Garden of Eden... but then we
thought it was fig leaves that were important at that moment.
You know how legends are, though.
Because
4-leaf clovers are rare, they were naturally given credence
for bringing luck, warding off evil spirits or making the
owner into someone special. Sir John
Melton wrote in 1620, "If a man walking in the fields find
any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find
some good thing."
Clover leaves are featured in jewelry,
key chains, and other decorative items. If
you're interested in purchasing clover items or other St.
Patricks' Day products, check out the links below:
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Pressing
News is a weekly newsletter published by The
Cleaners (dba Nu-Way Cleaners and Foothills Cleaners).
The newsletter provides information on garment care and
restoration along with other information and discount coupons. Visit
our web site at www.thecleaners.net
for more information about our company and the locations
of our stores.
If you wish to be
removed from our mailing list, just scroll down to the "Go
here to leave this mailing list or modify your email profile"
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